IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) refers to the use of an IP-based network for transferring television, possibly supplemented by additional multimedia services such as video, audio, text, images, or data. IPTV services are provided by a telecommunications provider via its own broadband network to a limited group of users. This is the difference between IPTV and so-called Internet television (“TV over Internet”) in which any program or content available on the internet can be downloaded anytime and anywhere by any internet user. Accordingly, the IP-based network which is used in IPTV instead of conventional transmission ways such as broadcast, cable, or satellite, is the broadband network of a telecommunications provider, for example.
A personalized IPTV product refers to an individually tailored configuration of IPTV contents, rates, and/or other options customized for a user. The purpose of personalization may be child protection, for example, or the provision of individual program packages for multi-person connections.
Current methods for identification, authentication and authorization of a user of a personalized IPTV product are based on a procedure in which the user discloses his or her identity, for example by entering an appropriate identifier at the relevant IPTV terminal using a menu provided by the IPTV service, and in a second step the user enters a password at the IPTV terminal. Alternatively, appropriate data such as user name and password may be stored in the IPTV terminal.
Thus, either the user must identify directly to the IPTV service, or the user's IPTV terminal identifies itself by means of user data it has stored. With a foreign IPTV terminal which does not have user data stored, the only alternative for the user is to enter his data, so that privacy protection is not guaranteed for the user. Moreover, errors may occur upon data entry, since the user has to enter user-specific data at the IPTV terminal to accomplish authentication.
Also, hardware-based procedures are known, which use Common Interface (CI) cards, or CI modules, as well as derivative CI+ thereof. However, these are not suitable for mobile use, since receivers and TV sets might apply different or no CI modules at all, and moreover software updates might be necessary which in case of mobile use, for example on IPTV terminals that do not belong to the user, such as in hotels, are not feasible.